Must Have Picture Books Linky Party

Oh how I adore picture books.  I can't even begin to tell you how many hours I have spent in bookstores such as Books-A-Million, Hastings, Barnes&Noble, etc. in the picture book section!  So, when I saw Lindsey's Linky Party, I had to join in!I am suppose to list my Top 5...OMG...just 5...I'll try!

1.  Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook by Michael GarlandZack is not excited about second grade at all.  That is until he meets his new teacher that can really bring a story to life!  You can find this book here.

2.  Three Hens and a Peacock by Lester LaminackNothing ever happens on the Tucker Farm...that is until a peacock shows up.  The hens and the peacock think they work the hardest.  After the old hound dog suggests them to swap jobs, they find out that others jobs aren't as easy as they seem.I adore Lester Laminack!  He is the best storyteller and author.  I have had the great pleasure of hearing him a couple of times at conferences, as well as, as a guest author at our school.  You can find it here.

3.  The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

This book holds a special meaning to me.  Every time my sweet little 2 year old granddaughter goes back home {in another town} she gets a little sad {and so does Gramma}.  I kiss the palm of her hand and gently close it for her.  I tell her that whenever she is feeling sad and wants me, just open up her hand and kiss it, and it will be like me giving her a kiss.That's what happens in this story when Chester Raccoon has to leave his Mommy to go to school.  You can find it here.

4.  The Giving Tree by Shel SilversteinThis story is a bit sad, but shows the unconditional love the tree has for the boy.You can find it here.

5.  Chrysanthemum by Kevin HenkesI know that everyone probably has this book, but I just love it.  I always use this book during the first week of school.  A sweet story to teach about how hurtful it is to make fun of others.  You can find it here.   Oh, I have SO MANY more but I narrowed it down to these five.  They are all great books that are a must have in the elementary classroom.Be sure to head over to Lindsey's to see what books other teachers are suggesting!Loving this linky party,

FREEBIE Circle Frames and Tickets

Click the above image to get this FREEBIE!ENJOY!Creative Blessings,

Theme Linky Party and WINNERS!!!

It's another Linky Party...and Winners announced!

 

Corinna at Surfin' Through Second is hosting a Classroom Theme Linky Party.  So I'm going to share everything that I have done so far for my Cowboy/Western theme for next year....some of these pics you have seen in previous posts.

This is a sample of things that I made for my Helper Board.  My Welcome Wagon is a small group of kiddos that welcome newbies to our class and help them learn the ropes.

This is a small sample of my notebook that I created.

...and a sample of pages in the kiddos' H.O.R.S.E. binder, desk plate, horse clip art and Wanted poster {both of which I drew}.

Cute cowboy stuff that I bought at the teacher store

More stuff that I bought

CUTE borders!!!

The Buckaroo Board area that I have started to work on in my room already...more work needed though!

My Buckaroo Board upclose...much still to do!

I set this up in my dining room so I could share these goodies from Shindigz.

The glitter horse shoes came in three different sizes.  The barbwire garland is so cute, and I love the red barn backdrop.

Adorable red book barn that I found here...and my hubby is using this for inspiration to build ME a book barn!  I adore that man!  Thanks, honey!

And last but not least, my cowboy and cowgirl puppets.  I adore them!  And that brings me to my WINNERS for my "naming my cowboy/cowgirl puppets"...

I had SO MANY wonderful names and ideas for these two cuties.  THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT PARTICIPATED.  I have decided to let my kiddos name the puppets after we share several cowboy/cowgirl books {that were suggested}.  Four people suggested that I let the kiddos name them, so I put those four in the hat first.  So, I will announce the winners now...

 

For the naming part of my contest...and winner of the above prizes is...

Christina doesn't have a blog, so I will contact her my email.  Congrats, Christina!

So then I put the other three in the drawing with everyone else...And the winner of the above prizes is...

I'll be notifying Peggy by email as well.

Thank you all for sharing in the contest!

Now be sure to head over to Corinna's at Surfin' Through Second for lots more theme ideas!

Blessings to all,

Classroom Management

To me, Classroom Management is different than Discipline.  Classroom management is good management  by the way of procedures and routines that are established first thing in the year by the teacher, and consistently used throughout the year.  I feel that if you have good classroom management then you will have less behavioral issues...notice I didn't say no behavior issues but less.

Model and Practice are biggies for me!  I spend the first few weeks teaching/modeling the procedures and having the students practice them over and over.  This way it becomes routine, and everyone knows what is expected of them.  I also spend a lot of time on community building, through books and activities.  This sets the tone for the year. 

Here are a few books that I use.  I haven't used Lester's new book, Three Hens and a Peacock, but plan to this coming year!   

Our school has a high rate of transient students.  So, I choose two or three {I recommend 3} to "welcome" new students to our school, and help them with procedures and routines.  I choose responsible students that have been most successful at modeling our procedures.  This year since I'm doing a cowboy/western theme, I'm calling them "The Welcome Wagon".  I will work extra with these students to prepare them to help new students that come to our classroom.  They love doing this and are successful at it...but I've always taught 3rd grade.  I will be teaching 2nd graders next year, so we'll have to see if they can handle this!

Ok, so you all know what a proponent of WHOLE BRAIN TEACHING I am!  I feel that this is a biggy in my classroom management.  Students are so interactive in the lessons, that they are on task, doing what they should!  They especially love the "Class-Yes", "Teach-Ok" and "Practice-I Got This".  I walk around during the time they are teaching their partner, so I can see who might need a little extra help, someone that might state what I did in more "kid-friendly" terms, and to assure that all students are on task.

A clip chart will be new to me this next year {I've never used it with my 3rd graders}.  Some might consider this more for "discipline" but I think it's classroom management too in the fact that the clip can change as student's behaviors change.  I like that!

So, what kinds of things do you use for classroom management?  I'd love to hear all about them!

You will also want to check out this linky party at Teaching In Room 6.

  

Happy 4th of July and Web-errific Wednesday #2

Happy Independence Day, everyone.  Thank you to those that have and are currently serving this great country of ours.  God Bless each one of you!  

A special thank you to my son who served in the U.S. Air Force.  I'm so proud of you and love you so much!

May we always remember those that gave their lives, because freedom is NOT FREE!

Happy Birthday, America!God Bless The U.S.A.!
Now, on to Web-errific Wednesday.Here are the sites that I have to share today.

*Activity TV*Activities, indeed!  Crafts, Puppets, Cartooning, Origami, Juggling, Cooking, and MORE!  A must see!*Storybee*Great stories told by professional storytellers.  Stories are easily categorized from age 4 to 18.  Be sure to check this out!*Silly Books*Lots of silly stories, puzzles, games, and more.  SO CUTE!  You're kiddos will love it.
Thanks for joining me for Web-errific Wednesday!  If you want to share any websites with us, just leave me a comment.  Thanks!

May you all have a most HAPPY and SAFE FOURTH OF JULY!BLESSINGS,

Already Working In My Room

As I was doing my Currently for July, I realized that the 1st of July meant only 24 days until I go back to school {with students going back in 31 days}  Ok, so I know that's technically a month until students return, but 24 days freaked me out a bit!  So, today I headed in to work on my room.  As you know, I am switching to 2nd grade this year.  At the end of the school year, dear sweet hubby helped me move everything from my old room to my new room.  First of all, I have to laugh at that statement because our new school building was finally finished, and this was the first year in our new building...so really I had only been in that particular room for one year...even though I'd been in that position for 14 years.

So, I get my new Thirty One bags all loaded up, 

and off I went {and yes, that is one of the Southern Peach Lemonades that I'm hooked on!}

This is how my room looked when I walked in.

And this is how it looked when I walked out.Yeah, I still have LOTS more to do!

But this is what I did while I was there.  I got this area semi-ready.  My board isn't done, but I'm happy to have my material and border up so far!

I know that I still have lots to do, but I'm happy with what I got accomplished in the short time I was there.

On a really sad note...when I got home, I learned that my neighbor's daughter {early 20's} was murdered, set on fire, and dumped on a country road last night.  This just doesn't happen in our community.  I am just heartbroken for her family.  Could you just say a pray for this sweet family!  Thank you!

Hug your loved ones tight!